International Students Student stories Medicine and Dentistry Dinuka Ariyarathna (Sri Lanka)
Dinuka Ariyarathna (Sri Lanka)
- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander in Marine Science
- Courses
- Future Students
- Current Students
- Research and Teaching
- Partners and Community
- About JCU
- Reputation and Experience
- Celebrating 50 Years
- Academy
- Anthropological Laboratory for Tropical Audiovisual Research (ALTAR)
- Anton Breinl Research Centre
- Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC)
- Living on Campus
- How to apply
- Advanced Analytical Centre
- Alumni
- AMHHEC
- Aquaculture Solutions
- AusAsian Mental Health Research Group
- ARCSTA
- Area 61
- Association of Australian University Secretaries
- Lions Marine Research Trust
- Australian Tropical Herbarium
- Australian Quantum & Classical Transport Physics Group
- Boating and Diving
- JCU-CSIRO Partnership
- Employability Edge
- Clinical Psychedelic Research Lab
- Centre for Tropical Biosecurity
- Career Ready Plan
- Careers at JCU
- Careers and Employability
- Chancellery
- Centre for Tropical Bioinformatics and Molecular Biology
- CITBA
- CMT
- CASE
- College of Business, Law and Governance
- College of Healthcare Sciences
- College of Medicine and Dentistry
- College of Science and Engineering
- CPHMVS
- Centre for Disaster Solutions
- CSTFA
- Cyber Security Hub
- Cyclone Testing Station
- The Centre for Disaster Studies
- Daintree Rainforest Observatory
- Defence
- Discover Nature at JCU
- Research Division
- Services and Resources Division
- Education Division
- Elite Athletes
- eResearch
- Environmental Research Complex [ERC]
- Estate
- Fletcherview
- Foundation for Australian Literary Studies
- Gender Equity Action and Research
- General Practice and Rural Medicine
- JCU Orientation
- Give to JCU
- Governance
- Art of Academic Writing
- Art of Academic Editing
- Graduate Research School
- Graduation
- Indigenous Education and Research Centre
- Indigenous Engagement
- Indigenous Legal Needs Project
- Inherent Requirements
- IsoTropics Geochemistry Lab
- IT Services
-
International Students
- Find your course
- How to apply
- Scholarships and financial support
- Study Abroad and Exchange
- Prepare to arrive
- Life at JCU
-
Student stories
- Allied Health
- Arts & Social Sciences
- Biomedical Sciences
- Business, Law and Finance
- Engineering
- Environmental Science
- IT and Data Science
- Marine Biology
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Nursing and Midwifery
- Public Health and Tropical Medicine
- Research
- Science
- Social Work
- Study Abroad & Exchange
- Teaching and Education
- Tourism
- JCU Authorised Representatives
- Contact us
- Research and Innovation Services
- JCU Eduquarium
- JCU Heroes Programs
- JCU Webinars
- JCU Events
- JCU Global Experience
- JCU Ideas Lab
- JCU Job Ready
- JCU Motorsports
- JCU Prizes
- JCU Sport
- JCU Turtle Health Research
- Language and Culture Research Centre
- CEE
- LearnJCU
- Library
- Mabo Decision: 30 years on
- MARF
- Marine Geophysics Laboratory
- New students
- Off-Campus Students
- Office of the Vice Chancellor and President
- Virtual Open Day
- Orpheus
- Open Day
- Outstanding Alumni
- Parents and Partners
- Pathways to university
- Pharmacy Full Scope
- Planning for your future
- Placements
- Policy
- PAHL
- Publications
- Professional Experience Placement
- Queensland Research Centre for Peripheral Vascular Disease
- Rapid Assessment Unit
- RDIM
- Researcher Development Portal
- Roderick Centre for Australian Literature and Creative Writing
- Safety and Wellbeing
- Scholarships
- Contextual Science for Tropical Coastal Ecosystems
- Staff
- State of the Tropics
- Strategic Procurement
- Student Equity and Wellbeing
- Student profiles
- SWIRLnet
- TARL
- TESS
- TREAD
- TropEco for Staff and Students
- TQ Maths Hub
- TUDLab
- Unicare Centre and Unicampus Kids
- UAV
- VAVS Home
- Work Health and Safety
- WHOCC for Vector-borne & NTDs
- Media
- Copyright and Terms of Use
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine
- Pay review
JCU medical student reflects on hospital placement during COVID-19 pandemic
James Cook University (JCU) international medical student Dinuka Ariyarathna has been one of many JCU students delivering essential health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dinuka travelled from Sri Lanka to attend university in Australia and is completing his final year of a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery degree at JCU. For the past six months Dinuka has been completing an extended rural placement at the Innisfail Hospital in Far North Queensland.
“Studying medicine at JCU prepared me well to manage working during this pandemic,” he said.
“During medical school we attended tutorials and workshops in global health and dealing with pandemic scenarios, and here I am in 2020 working during the COVID-19 pandemic and actually using the knowledge JCU medical school has provided.”
Dinuka said the past few months have provided many challenges and learning experiences, and the clinical supervision at Innisfail Hospital has increased his confidence in making medical decisions.
“Experiencing medical practice at Innisfail has allowed me to learn a lot about tropical, rural and remote medicine, and has increased my clinical reasoning skills and clinical knowledge due to wide range of medical cases I see during a day."
Image: JCU Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery student Dinuka Ariyarathna completed a placement at the Innisfail Hospital in Far North Queensland during the COVID-19 pandemic.
JCU’s Director of GP training Associate Professor Peta- Ann Teague said many medical students have been assisting in a variety of healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Senior healthcare students are smart and well educated, and are a logical and available resource for primary care at this time,” she said.
Dinuka says he is grateful for the support he has received from JCU over recent months.
“JCU has done a tremendous job providing its medical students, both domestic and international, with adequate safety and support during these uncertain times. JCU provided international students with financial and psychological support and I believe JCU is a university that truly illustrated the fact it cares about international students welfare. I thank JCU for not neglecting us in such a crucial time such as this.”
Upon completion of his medical degree at JCU, Dinuka plans on pursuing a career in paediatrics or emergency medicine with a focus on underserved populations.
“We will all get through this pandemic together, and it's our responsibility as individuals to collectively contribute to the health and safety of our communities.”
Further information about the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery program at JCU.